New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-02-27
PRISONERS OF POVERTY.
WOMEN wAGE-wORKERs. THEIR TRADES
AND THEIR LIVES
BY HELEN CAMPBELL.
XIX.
noursTIC SERVICE AND ITS PROBLEMS.

At last we have come to the problem TO when
there has necessarily been incidental reference
here and there, but which has otherwise Dideu
its time That these pages or any pages written
BY mortal hand in this generation can solve IT,
the writer doubts, the solution being 1nextIlcaoo
involved with that Of other social problems Vi
which time is the chief key. State inc ques',o'
as we may, there Is always fresh preseh''o'o"
10 be made, and replies are as various "' VIZ, ",
minds Of the skaters 1t Is inc h',So,''' i.
wb n, such presentation has thus rested a HIS
t,oss ,horned beyond endurance by incompetence
AIT waste characterization all the evils KNOWN
a. IGNORANT and prcs,imptuous service. FOR s"co
mistress smarting from sense Oh "ioiis OH"
boreless and faithless TO remedles' INC o"V
look IS necessarily bounded by her own nor'Ao"
She listens with indi nant contempt 70 the s'or!
If the thousands who choose their garre's ana
semj-stsrvaton, with independence, TO The shei
ter and abundance Of the homes IN whch VheS
might be made welcome She may even aver
that any statement of their suffering Is stupio
sentimentaty the gush and maudiln meiah-
cboly OF Humanitarian clergymen and news
paper refOrmers.
For her as for most of her order, in whom, as
vet. no faculty for seeing both sides of question
hos deye,oped there can be no reply save In
words already spoken. These women, WORKING
for WAGES that keep them always just above STAR
walton point, have no power left to think beyond
the need of the hour. They cannot stop, ohey
dare not stop to think of other methoos Oh earn
Ing They have no clothing In when Vhey oooo
obtain even entrance to an intelligence oihcc'
They have no knowledge that could make them
servants even Of the meanest order lhey are
what is left Of unframed and hopelessly ignorant
hives, given over to suffering born In part from
their Ignorance and for large proportion OF
such cases there can be merely alie'lauon' anu
such slight bettering of conditions as would come
from O system into which Justice entered more
fully.
With this army of incompetents we have at
nresent nothing to do. Our interest lies in dis
covering what is at the bottom Of the objection
tn domestic service how far these oDJecllohs are
rational and to be treated with respect, and now
far they may be obviated. The MISTRESS poih'
Of view we all know. We know. too. her pre-
sentation of objections as she fancies she mas ols
covered them. What we do not Rno" 10 'ie
ground taken by sensible, selrespec'lng glns'
who have chosen trades in preference, and from
whom fun detail has been obtained as TO inc
reasons for such choice. In listening to the
countless stories of experiment in earning hv-
ing. the passage from one industry to another
and the uncertainties and despairs before The
r,cbt thing had shown itself, the question has
always been asked:
allow did it happen that you did not Try 10
get place in some good family 7!
The answers were as various as the characters
of those who replied some with Indignation Iha'
they should be supposed capable OF thls ocgra
aation but most Of them thoughtfully and rea
sonably In time they arranged themselves unoer
heads, the occupations represented by The various
respondents being over seventy. Ihey were
chiefly above the ordinary domestic In intelii-
Nl.n.u MS
every order from paper-box making TO type
uyr;tnv and stcnocraphy But the trades pre-
dominated American being the nationality most
LARGELY represented, Irish born in this country
ranking next. and German and spIlnlIlins OF
other nationalities following. These replies are
Yrecisely OF the same nature as those gwen some
months ago. during an investi- alton made by the
head of one of the first guilds for woriunS-womep
established in this country objections oeinS prac'
ticallv the same at whatever point they may De
given. They were arranged under different heaoS
and numbered IN order.
In the present case it seems well 10 take the Id
dividual testimony. each girl whose verdict Is
CHOSEN represcntiIg class ana being really It's
p.outbpiecc.
First on the list stands Margaret NJ, an Ameri
can. twenty.three years old and for five years In
n paper-box factory. Seven others nodded Their
assent. or added word here and there rs she
pave her view Two Of them were Irish Amer
cans who had had some years in the public
schools.
ats freedom that we want when the days work
ia done. know some nice girls, Budgets cous-
ms that make more money and dress better anu
everything for being in service They're wall
resses and have Thursday afternoon out and part
of every ether Sunday. But they're never SURE
of one minute that's their own when they're III
the house. Our day is ten hours long, but when
tt,s done it's done, and we can do what we like
with the evenings. That's what Pve heard from
eyery nice girl that ever tried service. You're
never sure that your souls your own, except
when YOU are out Of the house, and l couldn't
stand that a day. Women care just as much Tor
freedom as men do. OF course they don't get 50
much, but know I'd fight for mine"
"Women ore always harder on women than
men are" said fursewer, an intelligent AmeH-
can about thirty. II got tired OF always sitting
and took place as chambermaid. The work was
all right and the wages good, but Pll tell you
what couldn't stand. The cook and the walt
rcss were just common, uneducatcd lrish' ana
had 60 room with one and stand the personal hab
its of both, and the way they did at table took
all nv appetite / couldn't eat and began tt
run down. and at last gave notice and told The
truth when l was asked why. The lady just
looked at me astonished II you take servant q
place you can't expect to be one OF the family,
she said / never asked it, / said. All
nsk is a chance at common decency' III WI
be difficult to find an easier place than this she
said, and knew 1t, but ease one way was hard
ness another. and she couldn't sec that had any
right to complain That's one trouble in the
way It's the mixing up Of things. and mistresSes
don't think how they would feel in the SAINT
place"
Third came an Irish American whose mother
had been cook for years in one family. but who
had, after few months Of service, gone into {
jute mill. followed gradually by five sisters.
II hate the very words service and servant,
she said 1--WE came to this country to bette
ourselves and it's not lettering TO have anybody
orderino Won round"